Saturday, May 12, 2012

Young Pioneers - tape (1983)

From what little data I've been able to glean, the Young Pioneers were a Seattle by way of Olympia four-piece, whose lineup contained drummer Scott Vanderpool of Room Nine, a somewhat seminal Northwest alt-rock group. Furthermore, Chris Pugh would later branch out into Swallow, perhaps the most genuine and purist grunge band of all time. Pugh and fellow Pioneer Brad Sweek were co-owners of an Olympia all ages venue, the Tropicana. Now, what does all of that have to do with the music concerning this entry? Not a damn thing really, just thought I'd give you some perspective. My impression from this tape is that the Young Pioneers were very young, and more than a little wet-behind-the-ears. There's definitely a nascent energy running through these eight, post-punky songs (two of which are instrumentals), and I'd say the group's most convincing moment is "Life's Problems" with it's sweet arpeggio guitar bits. "Get Up" and "Anthem" follow close behind. I'm not sure if Y/P committed anything to vinyl, or for that matter what their expiration date was. The tracklist from the inlay card and the one on the tape shell differ greatly, but the latter seems more accurate. If you can confirm this, that comment link has your name written all over it.